From Lomé, MSC Interconnects African Countries, General Manager Says

Logistics

Tuesday, 26 September 2023 14:18

From Lomé, MSC Interconnects African Countries, General Manager Says

(Togo First) - Gregory Krief, General Manager of MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), attended the Choiseul Africa seminar in Abidjan on September 14. On the occasion, he expanded on how the company contributes to the development of Africa's maritime sector, through its activities at the Port Autonome de Lomé.

In the panel entitled: "Sustainable Value Chains in Africa: Strategy, Industry, Finance," Krief noted that MSC plays a major role in connecting African countries among themselves, on the one hand, and to the rest of the world, on the other. The Swiss-Italian giant attributes this position to its presence at the Port of Lomé.

"As one of the few players to interconnect Africa through the Port of Lomé, we perceive this position as a unique opportunity. We can leverage our commitments to sustainability to improve delivery times, enabling our customers to receive their goods faster by supporting the development of national economies," said Gregory Krief during his speech.

Indeed, after closing the acquisition of Bolloré Africa Logistics at the end of 2022, MSC unveiled its ambition to strengthen its presence in Africa from Lomé. An ambition that is already taking shape, according to Gregory Krief, who added that "a dematerialization of processes between sea, land, and customer combined with collaboration with partners and relevant administrations will help shape a more sustainable future for Africa and for the planet."

The Choiseul Africa seminar is a regular event organized by the Institut Choiseul in partnership with the Confédération générale des entreprises de Côte d'Ivoire (CGECI). This year, it attracted over 200 participants, according to the organizers.

Esaïe Edoh

REFORMS OVERVIEW

STARTING A BUSINESS (more info)

At the fifteenth position, worldwide, and first in Africa, under the Starting a Business index of the 2020 Doing Business ranking, Togo sustains its reformative dynamics with more reforms….

ENFORCING CONTRACTS (more info)

Compared to some years ago when it was one of the lowest rankers under the Doing Business’ Enforcing Contracts indicator, Togo, leveraging many efforts to improve its business climate, was able to jump significantly on the index in the recent years... .

CONTRACT EXECUTION (more info)

Creation of special chambers of commerce for small debts • Creation of chambers of commerce at the Court of Appeal • Civil and commercial cases now handled by distinct clerks • Establishment of commercial courts in Lomé and Kara • Lawyers and bailiffs now have access to the FORSETI COMMERCIAL platform • A maximum period of 100 days was fixed to settle a commercial dispute .

TRADING ACROSS BORDERS (more info)

In comparison to previous years,Togo has significantly improved its ranking under the“Trading across borders” indicator by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking on the “Trading across borders” index by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitalization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

CONSTRUCTION PERMIT (more info)

After moving from the 133rd to 127th place under the 2020 Doing Business’ construction permit index, Togo intends to reiterate this feat in the coming edition of the global ranking. To this end, it has introduced this year multiple reforms.

GETTING ELECTRICITY (more info)

Over the past two years, Togo’s ranking under the Doing Business’ Getting electricity and water indicator has increased consistently. Owing this performance to multiple reforms aimed at making it easier for businesses to access power and water, Lomé plans to introduce even more reforms this year to keep up its improvements.

REGISTERING A PROPERTY (more info)

Out of all the 'Doing Business’ indicators, Property Registration is where Togo has improved the most since 2018. Indeed, after spending years in the lowest part of this ranking, the country now seeks to beat Rwanda which is the best performer on this index in Africa. To do so, Lomé has been introducing many reforms, with the latest batch implemented this year.

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT (more info)

From professionalization to digitization, through legislative regulations, Togo’s public procurement framework is constantly being modernized. Several reforms have been implemented to improve the sector much to the benefit of the private sector, which is the focus of the National Development Plan.

PAYING TAXES AND DUTIES (more info)

To improve its business environment, Togo introduced some important reforms related to the payment of tax and duties. From the replacement of some taxes to the cancellation of others through exemptions, the country has only one objective: offer the most attractive tax framework to investors and economic operators. To achieve this, the authorities relied on digitization.